Background

Sophia is a research officer in the Disease Elimination and Implementation Science Working Group. Her background is in political science, social psychology, and public health. 

Sophia has extensive experience in conducting qualitative and mixed-methods research and using social theory to address barriers to wellbeing among marginalised groups. She has been involved in hepatitis C elimination research, small-scale project evaluation for community-based organisations, and research collaborations with the Centre for Social Research in Health to improve understandings of recidivism among people who inject drugs. Her PhD research was situated within a critical realist framework and explored the discourses, contexts, and contingencies that shape injecting drug use among gay and bisexual men in Australia. She is currently working on designing stigma interventions in healthcare settings, infectious disease prevention among people who inject drugs, and global hepatitis C elimination programs.

Qualifications

• 2023: PhD (Health Sciences), Monash University, Australia
• 2017: MSc (Public Health), Lund University, Sweden
• 2015: BA (Peace and Conflict Studies and Social Psychology), Malmö University, Sweden

Awards

• 2024: Miller Foundation Public Health Travel Fellowship
• 2023: Monash University Postgraduate Publications Award
• 2022: The Hon Geoffrey Connard Travel Fellowship
• 2022: Conference scholarship to attend the 10th International Conference on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users (INHSU) in Glasgow
• 2022: International AIDS Conference Scholarship awarded by the International AIDS Society for Virtual Registration
• 2021: Burnet Shark Tank grant awarded to the project “Qualitative Special Interest Group”
• 2021: Geoffrey J Stewardson Fund Travel Fellowship
• 2021: Full Scholarship to attend the 9th International Conference on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users (INHSU)
• 2020: Burnet Internal Seed Funding awarded to the project: “Survey design question library”
• 2019: “Best PhD Abstract in Social Sciences” awarded by the International Network on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users at INHSU conference in Montreal, Canada
• 2019: New Investigator Full Scholarship to attend the 8th International Conference on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users (INHSU)
• 2019: Geoffrey J Stewardson Fund Travel Fellowship
• 2019–2022: Monash Graduate Scholarship
• 2019–2023: Monash Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science: Full International Tuition Scholarship
• 2018: 22nd International AIDS Conference Scholarship awarded by the International AIDS Society
• 2017: “Best Theme Poster” awarded by the Australian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine, ASHM 2017
• 2016: Lund University travel scholarship

Positions

• 2021–2022: Reconciliation Action Plan Manager, Burnet Institute
• 2019–2023: PhD Candidate, Monash University
• 2017–2021: Research Assistant, Burnet Institute